Cybex Medway Operations to Transition to Illinois, Minnesota

Life Fitness, Rosemont, Illinois, will move the production and support operations of its Cybex manufacturing plant in Medway, Massachusetts, to existing facilities in Minnesota and Illinois, the company announced.

Life Fitness, Rosemont, Illinois, will move the production and support operations of its Cybex manufacturing plant in Medway, Massachusetts, to existing facilities in Minnesota and Illinois, the company announced.

Fabrication of components will move from Medway to Owatonna, Minnesota, while product assembly done at the Massachusetts location will be integrated at Franklin Park, Illinois. This new manufacturing model will support increased efficiency companywide and provide the ability to better scale operations for future growth. Meanwhile, nonmanufacturing positions will relocate from Medway to Ramsey and Owatonna, Minnesota, as well as Franklin Park and Rosemont, Illinois.

The move will better accommodate the company’s new product plans and growth initiatives as well as optimize Life Fitness’ recently expanded global manufacturing footprint, according to the media release from Life Fitness. Service to customers will remain uninterrupted during the time of transition, which is expected to be completed by October 2017.

The Cybex facility in Medway currently assembles Cybex commercial fitness equipment and employs approximately 150 salaried and hourly employees. The company will offer opportunities for the majority of the employees to relocate or work remotely, and is making outplacement support and funding available for retraining to all employees should they choose to seek opportunities outside the company.

“Business decisions that affect our employees are always difficult,” said Chris Clawson, president of Life Fitness. “However, we have a responsibility to make the strategic decisions that will position the company for future success, and this restructuring allows us to make the most of our footprint. We are thankful to the loyal and hard-­working employees at our Medway facility and will provide them with a strong program of support during this transition.”

Life Fitness has been expanding and modernizing its global manufacturing footprint in anticipation of future growth. The Cybex facility in Owatonna is undergoing a 150,000-­square-­foot expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in December 2016. Additionally, Life Fitness has recently added to its manufacturing footprint at its factories in Kiskoros, Hungary (adding 86,000 square feet in 2015), Ramsey (48,325 square feet in 2016), and Franklin Park (141,000 square feet in 2016).

“Over the past two years, we’ve experienced rapid growth and increased demand from our customers," Clawson said. "To continue to provide the best service in the industry, we’ve increased our manufacturing footprint by more than 300,000 square feet since 2015. We will continue to invest in our modern manufacturing facilities to support the growth of the Cybex brand and all the brands in our portfolio.”

Life Fitness also has factories in Falmouth, Kentucky; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Bristol and Delavan, Wisconsin.